(1989 ford bronco fullsize 5.0 and aod. 8.8 rear and 44 front. borg warner t case)

i am going to do an auto to manual swap this summer and i need help identifying what manual transmission to use. i don't plan on towing anything with it, mostly want it for fuel economy (if any) and a quality good working gearbox.

i read about the M50DR2 mazda 5 speed and it says its medium duty. what are they comparing it to and are the ratios correct for what i already have?
next is the NP435 4 speed transmission. my guess is that it is built for towing without the 5th gear thus having poorer ratios for highway driving (i could be wrong)

then there are the ZF S542 and ZF S547. they are in the f250 trucks and thats all i know other then being 5 speeds.

who can help me with this? i want to know what one is the best too look for and when i find one, what should i look for?

(i priced out the components for the mazda 5 speed at carquest already. looked promising for the prices i could get that stuff for)

 

The 435 is the "oldest" model of the four. Being a four speed, it will give you slightly higher engine RPM @ highway speeds. It has no over-drive gear. But it compares with the ZF units for durability. The M5 is a Mazda-built 5-speed with good over-drive gearing but not much on the bottom end. However if you want to be able to go 30 mph in REVERSE, its a great transmission. The M5 doesn't even come close to the durability of the ZF or 435 units. The ZF S5-42 is the heavy-duty 5-speed found in F-250's and bigger trucks through the early-90's. The S5-47 is still in use and is nearly identical to the S5-42 except that it will not bolt behind any OEM Bronco engine. Both the S5-42 and 47 were/are available in a "standard ratio" and "wide ratio" configuration. Both are considered nearly indestructible units however, the wide-ratio units have a VERY low (5.72:1) first gear and a nearly identical reverse gear ratio. Combined with a 0.74:1 over-drive gearing, the ZF units are sought-after items simply because they will crawl very well and still have a good over-drive gear for highway driving. The ZF units also have PTO outputs on both sides of the case.

All three units (NP435, M5OD, ZF S5-42) were available in the F-series trucks and should accept the bolt pattern of the BW1356 transfer case that is in your 89. (The older NP435's may need to be adapted but I can't recall for certain... someone here knows for sure).

You might think that the hiccup is that the ZF was never available OEM in the Bronco. However since M5 and ZF units are nearly identical in length, you can use drive shafts from a Bronco that originally had an M5 in it if you decide to use a ZF. These drive shafts are considered stock sizes and therefor won't require having "custom length" drive shafts made. The ZF also uses the same clutch components as the M5 for the most part. The BW1356 t-case was also found OEM behind the ZF so shift linkages etc. should present little issue either. (Are you getting the hint that the ZF is the one you might want to consider). If you decide to pursue the ZF you will need one from an F-250 (or bigger) 4x4 that had a 300 (4.9l) or 351W (5.8l) engine in it. (the 2WD units are completely different outputs). The units behind the 460's and the diesels are different bell-housing bolt patterns.

 

The Mazda 5 speed is your highway cruiser. It's pretty much like the earlier 4 speed overdrive transmissions, but just with 5 gears instead of 4. They are known to leak and burn up, but this is quickly fixed by replacing the rubber plugs that crack and leak with brass ones.

The NP-435 is a tough, truck transmission. It has one of the lowest granny gears in the business, but lacks an overdrive. If you're looking for tough, it's a great option.

The ZF-5 speeds are a combination of all of the above. They have a granny gear and an overdrive, and are super tough. The last two numbers of the ZF model number is how much torque they can handle. S542 = 420 ft/lbs. S547 = 470 ft/lbs.




Ratios:

Mazda:

1st 3.90:1
2nd 2.25:1
3rd 1.46:1
4th 1.00:1
5th 0.80:1

NP-435

1st 6.69:1
2nd 3.34:1
3rd 1.79:1
4th 1.00:1

ZF-5

1st: 5.72
2nd: 2.94
3rd: 1.61
4th: 1.00
5th: 0.76


And your AOD

1st 2.40:1
2nd 1.47:1
3rd 1.00:1
4th 0.67:1

 

Abandoned,

The numbers for the ZF you have there are for the Wide-ratio model.

 

the ZF S542 is the one to get then correct?

the bell housing is correct, the BG t case will connect, driveshaft lengths will be correct and all extra parts should bolt up and connect properly?

as for the clutch plate, pilot bearing, flywheel, they can all come from a f250 or can they come from a bronco w/ the mazda setup?

i guess everything BUT the gearbox could either come from a donor and replaceable parts from carquest. (i'll do some parts searching on the carquest computer tomorrow) i just need to know if they are compatible on the 302

 

I found out that you have to grind a clearance notch for the shift rods if you are going to use the ZF, NP205 T-case. Shifter linkage will have to be modified. Make sure you get the wiring harness with the tranny at least to the fender connections. This will have the right ends for the manual and the t-case. Good news is AOD to manual you don't need to change the computer /ECM. Also snag the flat bar that connects the shifter to the t-case for the ZF.

 

As far as I know, only the wide ratio ZF came on gas engines. The other ratios were diesel only.

 

Abandoned, quite possible about the ratios but I've seen standard ratio units around with the right bell-housing so they must have been available somewhere along the way. An 89 should have the 1356 t-case rather than the 205.

 

so what i hear is that the 205 t case won't fit correct because of the floor shifter but the BG will fit fine with the floor shifter.

how about the starter motor, is it the same as the one on the AOD or different? do the wires need to be lengthened or can they remain the same?

are the bolt holes in the frame the same for the new cross member for the t case?

and for the steering column, all i have to do is disable part of the lock and put it in neutral to fool the computer?

thanks for the help so far

 

If the auto in it is an AOD, as FourxFord mentioned, there is no need to "fool" the computer because the computer doesn't control any transmission functions. If your 89 has an E4OD (which is pretty rare but possible), then you will need to run a jumper in the MLPS connector.

Starter shouldn't matter if you aren't changing engines. They are more engine specific than transmission. The engine isn't going to be moving so I can't see how or why the wiring for the starter should need to. The wiring harness in the truck should also have the connector for the clutch safety switch. (Ford made the wiring harnesses pretty generic so they could be plug and play for the guys on the assembly line. If an automatic came down the line they used the connectors for it. If a manual came down, they used the connectors for the manual.)

As to the column, disconnecting the shift linkage should be the only thing you need to do.

You will need to transmission cross member for the ZF from a donor truck.

 

Interesting, it looks like you're right.

I wonder how to tell the difference between the two. I would think that if you're going to go through all the work to put in a ZF, the last thing you want is the close ratio. At least I know I would.

A 4.14:1 granny gear is nothing to brag about. Especially since the 1st gear for the M5OD is 3.90:1.


Maybe the wide ratio only came in 4x4 or something?

 

Greystreak, have you confirmed this for sure?? I thought perhaps some of the later f250s with 351s mighta gotten the -47....

So the s5-47s are only available for the 460 and diesels??

Can internals from a -47 be swapped into a smallblock/4x4 s5-42 housing to up the torquhandling??

 

Sorry Greystreak, you will need a new starter, they are different between manual and automatic trannies. My $250 high torque, low profile starter didn't work when I swapped my manual in. Starter wire will be fine.
If you can find a manual column, get it, why not finish it the right way? Otherwise you can tap the pin out of the lever, have seen these shift collars tied up because the vehical wouldn't start because it rotated downward.

 

just to clarify, the ZF's can only be found in f250 and f350 trucks?

i did a few parts searches on the carquest exploris parts program today and it only says 5 speed or 4 speed transmission. i suppose it makes sense being that they didn't put the mazda 5 speed in the f250 and f350 trucks so the program says they are ZF's.

not bad for a flywheel and clutch kit, looking at about $150 for the pair. (the part numbers are the same for the mazda and the zf trans according to the computer as far as the parts go)

thats good news about the steering column. i was thinking i needed to disable some junk to get it to work.

about that push to start clutch pedal..... does it wire in (safety switch) or do i not bother install it?

 

I stand corrected on the starter issue. Thanks FourxFord.

Abandoned, the only way I know to be certain is to actually check the tag on the ZF as to whether the unit you have is close or wide ratio. The tag lists each gear ratio. Wide-ratio 1st is 5.72:1. If there is another way to tell more readily, someone please tell me.

The ZF was only available through 1994/95 in the 250,350 and 450's and carries a 420lb./ft. input torque rating.

The major difference with the S5-47 is the fact that it replaced the S5-42 in 1995/96. So it may be possible to find one from a 95 or newer F-250, 350 or 450 that had a 300 or 351. That's a pretty tall order since the PSD had become so popular by then that finding smaller gas engines in the 3/4 ton trucks of that vintage is harder to do. It too was available in a close and wide ratio configuration however, the wide-ratio S5-47 has identical gear ratios to the wide-ratio S5-42. Its even possible that they share internal components. The S5-47 carries a torque input rating of 470lb./ft. 50lb./ft. higher than the S5-42.